Explosive toy bomb



I April 11, 1950 'r. s. STEPHENSON 2,503,360

EXPLOSIVE TOY BOMB Filed Oct. 28, 1948 Thomas 6.5iePhe1'26012 Unverztor 2 5 Obborneg Patented Apr. 11, 1950 s PTENT' OFFICE,

EXPLOS IVE my eons Thomas S. Stephensn,'A ltooi1a, Pa. Application October 28, 1948,'Serial No.'5 6,980

Thisirniention relates totoy. bombs and more specifically, to bombs having ndses provided with explosive material for sound effects.

There have been a number of toy bomb devices disclosed in the art, but they have not obtained worth-while reception due to improper design and construction and to inadequate appreciation of the factors encountered in such devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toy bomb having adequate gas discharge and sound multiplying features. Another object is to provide a simple bomb nose which may be attached and removed to and from the body of the bomb very readily and without much effort on the part of the child playing with the toy. Further objects will become apparent from the description which is to follow.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the drawing in which Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a toy bomb made in accordance with the present invention. The remaining figures (Figures 2-7) are cut-away side views, partially in cross-section, of the nose sections of various modifications falling Within the purview of this invention. Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawing, numeral I represents the body of the bomb, the tail portion of which is preferably provided with directional fins 3, 4 and 5. Ihe bomb has a detachable nose portion 2 which may be unscrewed from the body I and an explosive material such as a toy pistol cap [3 or a blank shell 254 may be inserted between the body and the nose, as hereinafter disclosed, to provide noise, smoke and the like.

One of the features of the present toy is the use of one thread such as I!) and 28 (although two, I6 and I7, may be employed) [or screwing on the nose to the body, and the use of a fixed space 33 between the body and the nose, after engagement of the thread, to provide the percussion force necessary to explode the cap or shell. As can be seen from the figures, the nose may carry the female thread (Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5) or the male thread (Figs. 6 and '7). The thread is made loose, the looseness being such as to allow enough play for the screwed-on nose to cover the distance 33 on impact, this distance being about 3%" to The threads are undercut, so

that after they are engaged, they allow turning of the nose Without any further engagement or hindrance, although the nose may be removed by turning in the opposite direction, whereby the thread or threads become reengaged.

The nose portion is undercut at II under rear... (01. 46-260) female'thread II asfl-in Fig. 5, or at 32 under male thread 28, as in Fig. 6, which undercut allows sufiicient room 23 (as in Fig. 4) to hold cap I3 or shell head 22, the cap I3 resting on surface I2 within nose 2. In the case of the bombs employing blank shells 24, surface I2 in the nose or 35 in the body is provided with projection 25 which acts as a firing pin on impact.

The discharge from the explosion may be vented through the nose, as in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 7, the gases emerging, in the case of cap explosions, through opening 8, which is flared out to a larger diameter opening 9 on the outside of nose 2. In the case of blank explosions, the gases leaving blank 24 in opening 26, may be vented through a multiplicity of openings 39 and 35 which discharge through the side of nose 2. The discharge may also be vented through the body I as in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, in which case they leave the side of the body through a multiplicity of openings M. In each case, the discharge area is larger than the area (8 or [5) of origin of the explosion, which feature not only expedites venting of the high speed gases, but also accentuates the sound of the explosion and avoids the dull thud often encountered with partially muffled explosions.

In the operation of the cap bomb, as in Figs. 2 and 3, nose 2 is unscrewed and cap I3 is placed on surface I2, and the nose is screwed on. Thereafter, when the bomb is dropped, there is sufficient play in the thread portion to allow body I to continue its descent after nose 2 has struck its objective, causing the face of the body above cap I3 to strike the cap with sufficient force to explode it. Explosion gases are then vented through openings such as 3 or [5. In the case of multiple threads, as in Fig. 3, sufficient play space Iii is allowed between threads I6 and I8, to enable cap I3 to be exploded on impact of nose 2.

In the case of the cartridge bomb, as in Figs. 3, i, 5, 6 and '7, cartridge 24 is slipped into hole 26 in nose 2 or hole I5 (Fig. 3) in body I of the bomb so that projecting head 22 of blank cartridge 24 faces striking pin 25 when nose 2 of the bomb is screwed onto body 1. As in the case of the cap bombs, there is sufucient play in the threads to prevent contact of firing pin 25 with cartridge head 22, even if one continues to turn the nose in the body after it is engaged thereto. In the latter case, the threads merely ride over each other due to the undercut feature heretofore discussed. However, when the bomb is dropped and nose 2 strikes an object, body I continues on and firing pin 25 pierces cartridge 3 head 22, firing the cartridge. Explosion gases are then vented through holes I4, 30 and 34.

It has been found desirable to make the nose of die-cast metal, while the body is preferably of plastic, although die-cast metal may be employed.

The bomb may be constructed to fire either a cap or cartridge, as exemplified by the illustrations in Figs. 3 and 4, in which case both units are adapted to fire either type of explosive.

I claim:

In a two-piece toy bomb employing an explosive material for sound efi'ect and consistin of a body portion and a nose portion attachable thereto, with space therebetween for holding and exploding said explosive material, the improvement comprising a short thread on the lower portion of the body, a short thread on the upper portion of the nose engageabie with the thread of the body, an undercut portion above the thread on the body, wide enough to allow some free vertical movement therein by the thread on the nose portion, an undercut portion below the thread on the nose, wide enough to allow some free vertical movement therein by the thread on the body, the combined free movement of both threads being sufficient to cause compression and explosion of said explosive when the nose portion is suddenly struck against the body portion, and outwardly flared vents leading from the explosion space, for exhausting the gases and accentuating the noise of the explosion. I

THOMAS S. STEPHENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Woerner r- Mar. 23, 1920 

